Story Highlights

In January, more than 80 young performers auditioned for the annual Cascade of Talent show. Of those, nearly half made the cut and will take the stage at the 11th annual show at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 6, in the Great Falls High School auditorium.

“We wish we could take them all, but we can’t,” said Julie McCamley, assistant vice president of business development for Embark. “These young people are uber-talented.”

The show, sponsored by Embark Credit Union and the Uptown Optimist Club and directed by Paulette Walter, includes more than 20 dance routines that range from hip hop and jazz to tap and baton twirling.

Other acts include a unique band called “Machinists” that uses homemade instruments from their garage.

“We have a marimba player, so that’s kind of unique,” said McCamley. “We have one instrumental duet that’s a pianist and a saxophone player, and they’ve got a really great number.”

Performers are generally middle and high school students, but elementary kids are allowed to audition and perform if they have a teacher recommendation. That means the youngest participant this year is a four-year-old preschooler who has been dancing for two years.

Originally, auditions were only open to students in Cascade County, but organizers began accepting all comers five or six years ago.

“It’s nice to see kids from the outlying school be able to perform in this venue because I doubt they get many of those opportunities at all,” said McCamley. “We thought that the name Cascade of Talent was still fitting because it’s held in Cascade County and it always will be.”

Although there are performers from out of town, most of the kids participating are local.

“We actually have a lot of support and assistance from the Great Falls Public Schools,” McCamley said. “Every year we do a graphic design contest for the cover of the program. Embark gives the winner of that contest a $50 cash award.”

The show’s main goal is to provide a venue for young people to perform in, but the secondary aim is to get students in Great Falls involved in every aspect of the production.

We’ve had students from stage and theater over at Great Falls High help the Johnson Brothers with lights and sound, so it gives them that experience,” said McCamley. “When we do interviews with radio and TV, I try to get some of our high school performers to come with us, as well.”

Although the show has only managed to break even since its inception, McCamley says “the goal is to make enough revenue off the show to give that back to the schools.”

Advance tickets to Cascade of Talent are $10 for adults, $7 for students 18 and under, and free for kids 5 and under. These can be purchased at either Embark location or Kaufmans Menswear.

Adult ticket prices go up the day of the show to $15, but you can knock it back down to $10 by bringing a can of food for the schools’ food pantries.

“We try to keep it really affordable for the students so they can come and see their friends,” said McCamley. “We don’t want it to be cost prohibitive at all.”